This section is intended to introduce the reader to various aspects of art that may be related to various aspects of the present invention, which are described and/or claimed below. This discussion is believed to be helpful in providing the reader with background information to facilitate a better understanding of the various aspects of the present invention. Accordingly, it should be understood that these statements are to be read in this light, and not as admissions of prior art.
As will be appreciated, fluids, such as natural gas and air, have a wide array of uses in industrial and commercial applications. For instance, natural gas may be used to provide power to a range of vehicles, to heat homes during winter, and to operate various consumer appliances, such as ovens or clothes dryers. Further, natural gas may be used to generate electricity for distribution over a power grid, and may be used in the manufacture of an array of products and materials, including glass, steel, and plastics, for example.
In order to meet the demand for natural gas, companies may spend a significant amount of time and resources searching for, extracting, and transporting natural gas. It will be appreciated that natural gas may be produced from oil fields, in which case the gas may be referred to as casinghead gas, or from natural gas fields. As may also be appreciated, transportation of such natural gas, such as through a pipeline from the production site to a consumer, is often facilitated by compression of the gas via a compressor.
One common type of compressor for such applications is the reciprocating compressor. Such reciprocating compressors are positive-displacement devices that generally utilize a crankshaft that is coupled to pistons, via connecting rods and crossheads, to reciprocally drive the pistons and compress a fluid within attached compression cylinders. As may be appreciated by one skilled in the art, natural gas (or some other fluid) is generally introduced into compression chambers of the cylinders through one or more inlet or suction valve assemblies and, following compression, the fluid generally exits the cylinders via one or more outlet or discharge valve assemblies.
Further, one common type of valve assembly is the poppet valve assembly, which traditionally includes a set of poppets disposed between a seat plate and a guard plate. As many compressors routinely operate at hundreds or thousands of rotations per minute (rpm), such poppets also open and close at a similarly high rate. Due to this rapid cycling, the seat plate, the guard plate, and/or the poppets will often wear over time, leading to valve failure if left unchecked. To avoid such failure, a typical, worn poppet valve assembly may need to be repaired or refurbished, such as through replacement of the poppets, machining or refinishing of the seat and/or guard plates, or the like. Of course, such maintenance is often time-consuming and/or costly. Consequently, there is a need for a poppet valve assembly that exhibits an increased durability and life expectancy, and that allows for easier, faster, and cheaper maintenance.